Highlighted by the marquee acquisition of Security Networks, 2013 was unquestionably a strong year for Monitronics. It appears 2014 is starting the upswing as well.

Monitronics turned in an impressive haul at the latest Stevie Awards, reeling in a pair of Bronze prizes at the eighth awards show for sales and customer service. For the second consecutive year the third-party central station won in the Contact Center of the Year category, according to a news release from the company. The company was also honored in the Front-Line Customer Service Team of the year category.

The awards were presented at a gala banquet at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, the release noted.

On March 11, a pair of Monitronics leaders is slated to speak at the Piper, Jaffray Technology, Media & Telecommunications Conference held in at the Le Parker Meridien in New York.

Bill Fitzgerald, chairman and CEO of Ascent Capital, the holding company that owns Monitronics, and Michael Meyers, CFO of Ascent and Monitronics, will speak at the conference. According to an Ascent Capital news release, management may make “observations regarding the financial performance and outlook of both Ascent and Monitronics.”

In the wake of a big year for Monitronics, this presentation from management could be worth a listen. A live webcast of the presentation will be made available on the Ascent Capital investor relations website.

Buoyed by the $487 million acquisition of Security Networks, Ascent Capital, the holding company that owns Monitronics, posted some sterling numbers for the third quarter of 2013—numbers that underscore why investment firms continue to find the RMR model attractive (long-term contracts, high margins, cash flow predictability). The list goes on.

Ascent’s net revenue for the three and nine months (ended Sept. 30, 2013) increased 36.8 percent and 27.4 percent, respectively. The growth was fueled by an increase in subscriber accounts and “the related increase in monthly recurring revenue,” according to an Ascent news release.

Security Networks was no small acquisition; when it was purchased in July it was the fourteenth largest residential alarm monitoring company in the United States. In addition to bringing in 225 dealers, the move brought another 195,000 accounts into the fold.

Ascent also reported that Monitronics’ adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months intervals increased 35.2 percent and 27.1 percent, respectively. They also saw a modest increase in RMR per subscriber (6.3 percent).

The news release would suggest this isn’t the last we’ve heard from Ascent Capital on the acquisition front in the alarm space. Ascent chairman and CEO Bill Fitzgerald stated, “Looking ahead, we remain committed to identifying accretive acquisition opportunities, making certain that we continue to put shareholder capital to work in an effective and productive manner.”

Mike Haislip, president and CEO of Monitronics, noted that the near-term goals include further integrating the Security Networks business, and positioning the combined company for future growth.

PALM BEACH, Fla.—The media in Ascent Media—the new owner of Monitronics—is really limited to the company name. That was one of the messages from Bill Fitzgerald, chairman of the board of Ascent Media Corporation, at the Barnes Buchanan conference here in February.
He got some laughs from the conference crowd when he said: “You’re looking at me and thinking ‘Here come the cable guys again.’”
In some ways, Fitzgerald said, the crowd was right to think that. After all, Fitzgerald came to Ascent Media from AT&T Broadband, formerly known as TeleCommunications, Inc. (TCI). He also still holds the post of SVP of Liberty Media Corporation, whose chairman is cable industry pioneer John Malone.